Biography

Sanders was born in 1952 in Caribou, ME, where she also attended high school. She earned her B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1975. Before seeking office herself, Collins had worked on the staff of now-former Senator William S. Cohen.[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Collins' professional and political career[2]:

Staff Director of the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management, 1981-1987

Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, 1987-1992

New England Regional Director, United States Small Business Administration, 1992

2011-2012

Issues

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Collins voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]

The proposed budget would have cut about $5 trillion over the next decade and aimed to balance the budget by the end of the 10-year period.[7]

Some tea party members of the GOP opposed the measure because of its reliance on $600 billion-plus in tax revenues on the wealthy enacted in January 2013, in order to balance the budget.[6] Others in the Senate opposed the Ryan plan because of cuts from safety net programs for the poor and the inclusion of a plan to turn the Medicare program for the elderly into a voucher-like system for future beneficiaries born in 1959 or later.[6]

Expanded background checks on gun sales

On April 17, 2013, the U.S. Senate took a vote on and defeated a measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases.[8] The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.[9] Collins was one of the 4 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the measure.[10]

Drones filibuster

On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists criticized President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[11][12][13]

According to the website Breitbart, Collins was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[14][15]

The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[16]

Elections

2008

On November 4, 2008, Susan Collins won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Thomas H. Allen (D) in the general election.[17]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collinsincumbent

61.3%

444,300

Democratic

Thomas H. Allen

38.6%

279,510

N/A

Other

0.1%

620

Total Votes

724,430

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Susan Collins, click [show] to expand the section.

2002

On November 5, 2002, Susan Collins won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Chellie Pingree (D) in the general election.[18]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 2002

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collinsincumbent

58.4%

295,041

Democratic

Chellie Pingree

41.6%

209,858

Total Votes

504,899

1996

On November 5, 1996, Susan Collins won election to the United States Senate. She defeated Joseph E. Brennan (D), John C. Rensenbrink (I) and William P. Clarke (Taxpayers) in the general election.[19]

U.S. Senate, Maine General Election, 1996

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Susan Collins

49.2%

298,422

Democratic

Joseph E. Brennan

43.9%

266,226

Independent

John C. Rensenbrink

3.9%

23,441

Taxpayers

William P. Clarke

3.1%

18,618

N/A

Other

0%

70

Total Votes

606,777

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Collins is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Collins raised a total of $12,306,142 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 19, 2013.[20]

Susan Collins's Campaign Contribution History

Year

Office

Result

Contributions

2008

U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 15)

$8,039,750

2002

U.S. Senate, Maine

$4,266,392

Grand Total Raised

$12,306,142

2008

Breakdown of the source of Collins' campaign funds before the 2008 election.

Collins won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Collins' campaign committee raised a total of $8,039,750 and spent $7,996,626.[21]

U.S. Senate, Maine, 2008 - Susan Collins Campaign Contributions

Total Raised

$8,039,750

Total Spent

$7,996,626

Total Raised by General Election Opponent

$5,998,773

Total Spent by General Election Opponent

$6,462,451

Top contributors to Susan Collins's campaign committee

Marriott International

$46,500

Elliott Management

$41,400

Wish List

$36,613

General Dynamics

$32,700

Verizon Communications

$28,450

Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee

Retired

$519,099

Lawyers/Law Firms

$450,680

Securities & Investment

$378,233

Leadership PACs

$377,246

Health Professionals

$349,369

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Collins missed 0 of 5,172 roll call votes from Jan 1997 to Apr 2013, which is 0.0% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving.[22]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Collins paid her congressional staff a total of $2,549,604 in 2011. She ranked 16th on the list of the highest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and she ranked 50th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Maine ranked 41st in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[23]

Net worth

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Collins' net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $110,005 and $300,000. This averages to $205,002, a decrease of 17.17% since 2010. This is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668.[24]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Collins' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $145,005 and $350,000. That averages to $247,502.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[25]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2012

According to the data released in 2013, Collins was ranked the 47th most conservative senator during 2012.[26]

2011

According to the data released in 2012, Susan Collins was ranked the 47th most conservative senator during 2011.[27]

Recent news

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All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

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Personal

Collins lives in Bangor, Maine.[28] In August 2012 she married Thomas Daffron, chief operating officer of Jefferson Consulting Group, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, and a former chief of staff to Senators William Cohen, Fred Thompson and Lisa Murkowski. This is her first marriage, his second.[29]